After being away at the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association annual conference in Edmonton, I was back pounding the pavement on Monday evening.  Here's what I heard at the doors:

What do people in last night's group like?  A few households like the look and feel of the new Banff Avenue, and they like what they've seen of the new wayfinding plan.

Individual households also mentioned being happy about:

• the town's emphasis on reaching out to regional tourists
• the success that town staff are having in accessing grants and funding from other levels of government
• the trail system
• the library
• the extra housing now available at the YWCA
• having more special events -- especially liked the Bike Fest
• the lighted crosswalk at Fox
• the new town buses

Individual households had the following concerns, ideas and issues:

• a request to not go to a full pedestrian mall on Banff Avenue
• a hope that we will look at alternatives to sand and gravel for winter roads, coupled with a concern that continued use of sand and gravel will abrade the new textured concrete surfaces on Banff Avenue
• a concern about the effects on individual businesses of blocking patches of sidewalk, e.g. the effect of closing the east sidewalk on the bridge to do the repairs at one end.
• a hope to see more happening on the new Rec Centre
• a concern about the speed of taxis on Kootenay between Lougheed and Springs
• a request to revisit the timing of traffic lights on Banff Avenue, especially at the admin end of the bridge
• a concern about the intersection of Glen Avenue with the road down to Bow Falls:  lost drivers, U-turns, etc, and a suggestion that we put a planter in the intersection during the summer that could support stop sign/directional signage
• a concern about speeding motorists on Glen Avenue
• a suggestion that we bring back taxi stands on Banff Avenue
• a request for an update on what's happening with the pedestrian bridge
• a request for more parking downtown
• a concern about Banff Live, coupled with a request to aim special events at the fall and spring
• a request to be financially prudent, and pay as we go.

This is a quick "between councils" update, as there are a few items to let you know about that can't wait until next weekend.

BANFF ALL-CANDIDATES FORUM

My old friends at Mountain Culture are hosting a forum for the federal candidates.  This is your chance to talk TO the federal politicians, not just ABOUT them!  Remember, one of these people is going to be our MP in Ottawa.  So bring along your tough questions in the federal sphere:  national parks, environment, Afghanistan, agriculture, economics, climate change, child care funding, etc. etc.  Bob Sandford will be moderating, so you know the evening will be entertaining!

Wednesday, October 8, at 7:30 in the Margaret Greenham Theatre.

WHERE ARE THE BLUE BINS GOING?

One of the questions I've been asked most frequently at the doors is "Will one of the new recycling set-ups be going in our neighbourhood?"  Well, now you can find out!  Click on this link: 

http://www.banff.ca/locals-residents/social-services-programs/recycling.htm  to read all about the new recycling program, including a lits of all the items that can go in each stream (more than you thought!).  Halfway down your screen, you'll see a link to a map:

http://www.banff.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=1687

which will show you the new "blue bin" locations. 

BANFF ECOTEAM OPPORTUNITY:

Councillor Chip Olver asked me to let people know about the opportunity to join an Ecoteam group right here in Banff, starting sometime in the next few weeks, and finishing in January.  This program is run by the Biosphere Institute.  Every couple of weeks, the group meets with a particular theme that relates to reducing your environmental footprint.  Then you carry out activities at home related to that theme, with equipment, etc. provided by the Biosphere Institute.  Chip participated in a pilot group and here's what she has to say about it:

"Sessions included transportation, garbage, energy use, consumerism, among others. 

I found the home energy analysis particularly interesting. I had a plug-in unit to attach to any appliance between the plug and the wall. I was able to move it from appliance to appliance to determine each appliance's specific energy use. There was also  a unit that hooked on the outside meter. I determined that my freezer used 20% of our home energy use.

I could turn appliances and lights on and off and watch the outside unit change to reflect how much drain things had.

It was also interesting to weigh-in on my garbage.

The EcoTeam did these things together as part of each weeks 'homework'.  I found the group discussions very worthwhile."

If you're interested in joining this group, please contact Bart Robinson:  bart@biosphereinstitute.org   Do not delay, as this program starts soon, and there is room for just four more participants!

DOOR-KNOCKING - HOW'S IT GOING?:

I've done about 350 doors to date, so I have 600 to go in order to reach all the doors I did during the election -- more if I want to cover more of the town than I did last fall.  We'll see how the shoes hold out!  This is such a worthwhile exercise for me -- I really appreciate the warm and encouraging greetings I get at most doors, plus the thoughtful comments that people have about the work and future of the town.

You can track my progress and what people are saying by checking my blog:  www.lataylor.com/blog  and scrolling down.  I put up a blog entry each time I go door-knocking, so there are quite a few!

On a perfect, sunny fall afternoon, this is what I heard at the doors:

The new look of Banff Avenue came out on top again on the list of "likes".  Several people also mentioned the recycling and organics program as a very positive service.

Individual households were happy about:

• the secondary suite policy
• the lighted crosswalk at Fox Street
• the way the Town responds to residents' concerns

Support was expressed by individual households for the Rec Centre project and for the pedestrian bridge.

On the question of what we could do to improve, two households mentioned their opposition to Banff Live.  All the other comments were individual:

• a concern about writing in with a complaint and not receiving a reply
• a concern about the need for better snow-ploughing and street sweeping in residential areas
• a concern that the recycling depot downtown looks messy on the weekends
• comments about Banff Avenue:  specifically, safety concerns re the clump of trees at Banff and Buffalo near the Beaujolais, safety concerns re the mid-block crossings, and a request to update the median in front of the Legion to match the rest of downtown.
• a request to consider "pedestrian scrambles" at the main intersections in downtown (this is where all pedestrians cross at once, in all directions)
• a concern about the removal of garbage bins, and whether sufficient service will remain
• a request for more parking downtown
• a concern that maps on the town website load very slowly
• a concern about the wage levels for Town staff making it tough for other employers.  "Using my money to compete against me for staff" was the quote.

It was a blustery, windy afternoon in Middle Springs 2 yesterday, but warm welcomes at the doors made up for it!  I must have been on the trail of the Blake Richards team, because I generally found his brochure in the doors of the houses where no one was home.

What are people in the upper part of Middle Springs 2 happy about?  The most frequently mentioned items were (you guessed it!) the look of the new Banff Avenue, the recycling/organics programs, the proposed wayfinding program, and the new lighted crosswalk at Fox Street.  Hoping that the pedestrian bridge project would go ahead was mentioned by two households.

"Likes" mentioned by individual households included:

• the new busses
• the town making an effort to be progressive
• trying something new like Banff Live

Two households mentioned that they like the Bill Peyto signs, and hope they stay in place.  Two households mentioned concerns about the visibility/safety of sidewalks, especially those used by lots of children, plus the one between Gourlay's and the liquor store, plus the one between Bumpers and the Inns of Banff.  Two households mentioned a hope that the new Rec Centre will go ahead - one adding that they believe it will be important for regional tourism.

Concerns, issues and areas for improvement that were mentioned by individual households were:

• the need for more day care spaces
• the need to go the extra mile for aesthetics:  flowers, lights, etc.
• disappointment with the decision about Cave Avenue density
• a hope that Council is actively pursuing resort municipality status and alternate revenue
• a request to work on trails in the lands adjacent to the Town
• a suggestion that we paint parking spaces more carefully, so that people don't take up two spots
• a suggestion that we designate the Bear Street parking lot for residents only
• concerns about the design of Banff Avenue:  tree clumps near the intersections, mid-block crossings, the median in front of the Legion.
• a request for differential mill rate for bare land condominiums, because they have to pay through their condo fees for snow ploughing and street lighting.
• a suggestion for a kids' "spray park" in Central Park in the summer
• a suggestion for a sign at Mountain Avenue and Middle Springs Drive, to inform visitors of the remaining distance to the Upper Hot Springs -- apparently the residents get asked this question a lot.
• a request for a higher standard of snowclearing on both streets and sidewalks
• a request for repairs to the fence between Mid Springs 2 and the wildlife corridor.
• a suggestion that transit would be better with more and smaller busses.

Yesterday evening in Middle Springs 2 didn't reflect the general trends of comments that I've heard so far.  Instead, people had individual likes and concerns.  I heard the following at the doors:

Things that people like, mentioned by individual households:

• the proposed pedestrian bridge:  "I hope it can be built"
• paying attention to spending:  "don't let borrowing get us into a hole we can't dig out of"
• the organics program:  "I use the bin all the time"
• Banff Live:  "it was a good thing to try it"
• Banff Life and FCSS:  "they do an amazing job to support our young workers" 

Questions, ideas and concerns mentioned by individual households:

• the need for affordable housing
• a concern about the dumping of large items by the bins, and a willingness to pay more to have more frequent pickups of this junk
• a concern about the low turnout at Banff Live vs the expense
• a wish to have a pedestrian bridge instead of the wayfinding program
• a request to re-evaluate the planned location of the pedestrian bridge and place it close to the existing bridge
• a request to make the current traffic bridge 2 lanes in each direction, with narrower sidewalks
• a request to re-jig traffic light timing on Banff Avenue to move traffic more smoothly
• a suggestion for a transit route to The Banff Centre
• a wish to have everyone pick up their dog droppings, and to have this bylaw enforced
• a request to limit chain stores and prevent loss of unique community character downtown
• a concern about whethr we are meeting the needs of new Canadians, and whether we are helping them integrate into our community, access our services and become locals.
• a concern about noise, safety relative to partying downtown, and a request to try to get rid of our reputation as a party town